Moonshine

THE SHOW WAS FREAKIN' AWESOME. Goosebumps, laughs, tears and a good time... we're still thinking about it a week later.

I laughed, I cheered, I cried and clapped along to the band! Moonshine is at once both raucous party and moving tale of culture and family. You will no doubt get so swept up in the song and storytelling that you won’t realize how long your jaw has been on the floor until you need to pick it up and head home. A beautiful presentation of Ukrainian-Canadian diasporic joy and and sorrow and everything in between 🌻

Larissa is a captivating storyteller and songstress - weaving music, song and story together with a talented band. This was an entertaining, soulful and energetic performance that captures Ukrainian music and culture beautifully. The venue was cute, and it was nice to order a meal and a drink before the show started. Overall, a wonderful evening and both my husband and I would definitely see this show again!

This was a wonderfully told personal story of Ukrainian culture and history mixed with wonderful songs in both Ukrainian and English.

Larissa is an engaging well spoken storyteller. She is also an extremely talented fiddler. The other members of the band are also great musicians with each performing in a solo capacity at some point in the show.

I was so impressed with these young people who speak the language and have embraced the culture.

I would definitely see this show again and bring my family.

The musical performances were wonderful, very upbeat even though most of the sold-out crowd was dead. Performers certainly did their best to get people on board, but it was a pretty elderly-skewed theatre crowd so boo. There were a few stories interspersed with songs, and then pretty quickly the show became almost all music, which was a bit disappointing.

There wasn’t anything really groundbreaking in the storytelling, mostly autobiographical recountings of immigrant stories we’ve heard many times, this time in a Ukrainian context. If you’re looking for a subversive or politically-challenging immigrant narrative a la Diaspora Diaries Collective’s “El Funeral”, you’re not going to find it here.

Although some of the musicians moved through the restaurant occasionally, most of the performance stayed locked to the front windows, which was a shame. I had hoped that they would use the space more effectively since performers weren’t limited by the boundaries of a traditional stage.

BUD’MO: A Toast That Sings to The Soul

A whirlwind of emotions, a wellspring of knowledge, and a remarkable immersive theatre experience! Through songs, tales, and a series of toasts, the audience of Moonshine teleported to a Ukrainian Kitchen party that stole their hearts as the remarkable band serenaded them with various tunes that feature every emotion one can possibly feel. Echoes of joys and tears, alongside toasts and clapping to the beat, were prominent as the brilliant Larissa Poho told tales about her travels to Ukraine and her journey as she unravels her heritage that goes way back to fragments of history. A massive kudos to Poho, and company (Billy Brown, Marissa Karpiak, Scott Shpeley, Jordan Welbourne) for their consistent vibrance, impeccable harmonies, and mind-blowing expressive musicality– no moment did not burst in life. If you want to have a true taste of a Ukrainian Kitchen party without having to travel an inch away from Edmonton, this show is your perfect fix, as it runs until August 21st at venue 35: Waffle Bird. BUD’MO!